Lakers’ Head Coach Reassures That Anthony Davis’ Minute-Restrictions Will Ease Slowly

Published 04/26/2021, 1:46 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

In the first few minutes of his return after his injury, Anthony Davis looked like someone trying to gauge uncharted territory. It is only natural for Davis to return to his full form slowly, but it’s possible that the Los Angeles Lakers might be running out of time. The purple and gold’s standing in the Western Conference was severely compromised when Davis went down with a calf injury.

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If things couldn’t become worse, the other Lakers’ superstar LeBron James, followed him out of the court because of an ankle injury. This landed the Lakers on the fifth spot in the West.

And after two straight losses to the Dallas Mavericks, concerns about them are rising. However, with Davis back, Frank Vogel is optimistic. In fact, he even gave an important update on his minutes’ restriction.

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Lakers coach will be patient with Anthony Davis

It isn’t easy for a player to sit out for two months and make his comeback as good as new. It takes time to adjust and adapt and that’s what’s happening with Anthony Davis.

The Lakers star played a vital role in winning the championship last year. This was the biggest reason that the organization did not want to rush his return and make it as smooth, to avoid any long-term damage.

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However, Frank Vogel understands AD’s difficulties and said after their Dallas series, “It’s going to be a working progress. He’s playing with a new teammate and trying to get his legs under him. It’s going to be a little disjointed at times.”

Here, Vogel is talking about Andre Drummond and Ben McLemore, who have tried to hold the fort in AD and Bron’s absence.

“Hopefully, it doesn’t cost us too many games. I think there were some good sequences tonight, but obviously not good enough overall.”

USA Today via Reuters

Will more minutes bring more victories?

In his first game against Dallas, AD played only 17 minutes and could only add 4 points to the scoreboard. Although, in the second game itself, the minutes increased to 28, which helped him finish the night with 17 points.

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There is no doubt that Davis’ contributions bring more wins and the more he plays, the better it is for the Lakers. So, when Frank also assured that his time on the court will keep increasing, it brought nothing but relief to fans.

“We’ll see how he responds overnight and the medical team gives me the recommendation. They’re counting not just total minutes, but how many stoppages there are while he’s in there, so there is some flexibility there. Hopefully, that continues to go up,” Vogel explained.

USA Today via Reuters

What matters most right now is that he is coming out of his injury very healthy. It is what’s best for the team, and all Davis needs is more time to be more and more like himself.

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Read also- Lakers’ Anthony Davis Admits Playing Alongside Andre Drummond Has Been a Huge Adjustment

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Written by:

Yashima Bhatia

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Yashima Bhatia is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports who specialises in providing nuanced predictions and updates for matches. She has a Bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication. Yashima's love for playing the game came up at a young age, when the excitement of the games coupled with the intensity of the Playoffs had her hooked.
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